Crutch



(Model.)

y WITNESSES:

W. H. D. LUDLOW.

Patented Jan. 8, 1884.

gam

l INVENTOR;

BY 7am..

- ATTORNEYS.

Miren Sra'rns Farrar @rines WILLIAM H. D. LUDLOV, OF LA PGRTE CITY,IOVA.

CRUTCH.

SPECIFICATION forming` part of Letters Patent No. 291,750, dated January8, 1884.

Application filed Juue13,183. (Modeh) l To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIAM H. D. LUD- LOW, of La Porte City, in thecounty of Black Hawk and State of Iowa, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Crutches, and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, forming part of this speciiication, in which-Figure I is a side view of the crutch, and Fig. 2-is a centrallongitudinal section through the line a: x.

My invention relates to certain improvements upon that form of crutch inwhich an extensible prod at the lower end ofthe crutch is connected tothe hand-hold in such a manner that a rotary adjustment of said handholdis made either to project the prod as a safeguard against slipping orwithdraw it when it is no longer required.

My improvements consist in means for locking the prod out or in itsextended position, so that pressure thereon does not drive it backagain, and also in means for lengthening or shortening the projectionlof the prod, as will be fully described hereinafter.

In the drawings, A represents a branched or two-barred crutch, having atits upper end the horn or shoulder-support I3, and having a little lowerdown and between the bars the hand-hold C,

D is the extensible prod, which is in the nature of a steel pointplaying in and adapted to protrude through a hole in the lower end ofthe crutch. rlhis prod is formed upon or .attached to a longitudinal rodor bar, E, which extends up between the branches ofthe crutch andterminates in a screw-socket, a, that receives a screw-stem, I). Thisscrew-stem is provided with a jam-nut, c, and is attached to the lowerend of a yoke or bail, F, whose two upper ends are connectedeccentrically to the hand-hold at or near its ends. N ow, the hand-holdbeing swiveled or capable of a rotary adjustment, it will be seen thatas it is turned in the hand of the user the rod E and its prod areprojected from or withdrawn into the crutch, according to the directionof the movement.

Upon the inside edges of the two branches of the crutch, just below thehand-hold, are fastened two lugs or projections, d d, which are so iixedin relation to the bail or yoke F that when the latter is turned pastthe deadcenter, in the rotation of the hand-hold to project the prod,the sides of said bail or yoke strike against said lugs or projections,and the latter lock the bail past the dead-center, so that pressure onthe prod cannot drive it back again untilthe hand-hold is reversed.

The object of the screw-socket a, screwstem I), and jam-nut c is toallow the prod to be turned so that it may project more or less ascircumstances may require.

IIa-ving thus described my invention, what I claim as new isl. Thecombination, with a two-barred crutch having stop project-ions d dthereon,

of a rotary adjustable hand-hold and a bail or yoke, F, connectedeccentrically to the ends of the hand-hold above, and connected at itslower end to an extensible prod, as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination of the two-barred crutch, the rotary adjustablehand-hold, the bail F, screw-stein b, jam-nut c, and prod-bar E, withscrew-socket a, substantially as shown and described, and for thepurpose set forth.

WILLIAM H. D. LUDLOV.

XITitnesses:

J. L. CATLEN, Cries. A. Bisiror.

